Roger Clemens will take the mound again when he starts for the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters on Saturday night in an independent league game against the Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish. Clemens, who is 50 and last pitched in September 2007 for the Yankees, says he's not ready for another shot at the majors, yet the lowly Houston Astros are sending a scout to the game. It just so happens that Clemens has a personal services contract with the Astros. Mixed signals by all seem to be standard operating procedure.

OK, I get it: steroids are bad and cheating is worse. What I don't get is why Hall of Fame voters have decided to draw this line at this time. Long-time members of the Baseball Writers Assn. of America, who sit as judge and jury to decide who gets in the Hall and who doesn't, voted this week to enshrine pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas in Cooperstown. Fine. All three are deserving and the Hall is much richer with their inclusion. Passed over again, however, were Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro.

In a Washington courtroom three blocks from Capitol Hill, one of Major League Baseball's biggest names - 11-time All Star pitcher Roger Clemens - went to trial Wednesday before a jury of 12 citizens and a court of public opinion disgusted with scandals over steroids and other banned drugs that have threatened the credibility of the game. Clemens, who won seven Cy Young awards, stands charged with perjury, obstructing Congress and making false statements when three years ago he told congressional investigators and testified in an open hearing that he never used steroids or human growth hormone (HGH)

Clayton Kershaw for most valuable player? His manager won't be leading the campaign. With the National League lacking a dominant offensive player along the lines of Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout , Kershaw has emerged as a candidate in a field of solid but not spectacular position players, including Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals, Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers and...

Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens sat some 20 feet apart, Pettitte on the witness stand and Clemens at the defense table trying to avoid going to jail. The topic: a remark about human growth hormone Pettitte recalled hearing from his longtime teammate, mentor and workout partner a dozen years ago. "Roger had mentioned to me that he had taken HGH," Pettitte testified. "And that it could help with recovery, and that's really all I remember about the conversation. " The rest of the details are fuzzy.

Roger Clemens won a five-year battle Monday when a jury found him not guilty of lying to Congress about steroid use. But although Clemens' name may have been cleared as far as the law is concerned, it remains to be seen what effect the verdict will have on the public's opinion of the seven-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher - particularly the opinion of the Hall of Fame voters, who will have an opportunity in December to determine whether or...

Former pitcher Roger Clemens, a friend of country singer Mindy McCready, who died of an apparent suicide Sunday, issued a statement about her death at Houston Astros' training camp Monday. "Yes, that is sad news. I had heard over time that she was trying to get peace and direction in her life," Clemens' statement said. "The few times that I had met her and her manager/agent they were extremely nice. " McCready claimed in 2008 that she had a longtime love affair with Clemens, who disputed the account and said they were just friends.

Roger Clemens will attempt to make a comeback at age 50 after signing with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League on Monday. Does this mean we eventually will see the once-dominating pitcher back on a major league mound? That's a question with several layers. First of all, what are Clemens' intentions with all of this? Is it just for fun -- as one of Clemens' agents, Randy Hendricks, suggested in an email to USA Today on Monday -- or does the seven-time Cy Young winner have bigger things on his mind?

Roger Clemens is 50 years old. He's a seven-time Cy Young Award winner. He may or may not be a Hall of Famer. He is not a criminal. And he is now, once again, a baseball pitcher. In related news, he is also a Skeeter. Clemens is expected to make his first start for his new team, the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League, on Saturday night. Randy Hendricks, one of Clemens' agents, told USA Today via email that this could be a one-time outing. Or maybe not. "It is at this point a fun, local, one time kind of thing," Hendricks wrote . "If he does well, he will probably make at least one more home start.

Prosecutors said they might call former baseball players Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco , current baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman as witnesses in the Roger Clemens perjury case. The defense said it might call former Clemens teammates Paul O'Neill , Jorge Posada and Mike Stanton , and baseball writer Peter Gammons . Those were among the more than 100 potential witnesses read Monday on the first day of jury selection in Clemens' new trial in Washington, with a larger prosecution team taking on the famed pitcher following last year's embarrassing mistrial.

Former pitcher Roger Clemens, a friend of country singer Mindy McCready, who died of an apparent suicide Sunday, issued a statement about her death at Houston Astros' training camp Monday. "Yes, that is sad news. I had heard over time that she was trying to get peace and direction in her life," Clemens' statement said. "The few times that I had met her and her manager/agent they were extremely nice. " McCready claimed in 2008 that she had a longtime love affair with Clemens, who disputed the account and said they were just friends.

California basketball Coach Mike Montgomery was reprimanded by the Pac-12 Conference on Monday for shoving one of his players in the chest during a game against USC. The conference did not announce what punishment Montgomery received for his actions Sunday night, although he will not be suspended. "While emotions can run high in competitive environments, Pac-12 coaches are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that will reflect credit on the institution and the conference," Commissioner Larry Scott said.

So Mike Piazza was planning to go all Ralph Macchio on Roger Clemens? And then when he had the opportunity, decided just maybe it wasn't his best idea? Hey, that's show business, or at least the autobiography business. Piazza's memoir “Long Shot” hits the stores Tuesday, and although it deals with the suspected topics -- did not do steroids, should be in the Hall of Fame, is not gay -- in expected fashion, there is one surprising element. Piazza said he was so upset over Roger Clemens' beaning him during a game while with the Mets in 2000, he took karate lessons to prepare for their next encounter.

Roger Clemens wasn't surprised that he wasn't voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, and used Twitter to share his thoughts on the results, which were released Wednesday morning. "After what has been written and said over the last few years, I'm not overly surprised. Thanks to all the teams I've worked with and to fans and friends for all the fantastic letters, voice mails and texts of support over the last few years. To those who did take the time to look at the facts … we very much appreciate it. " No players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame this year in a vote that seemed to be a response to the steroid era. Home run king Barry Bonds was named on only 36.2% of the ballots, Clemens on 37.6%.

Rich “Goose” Gossage cut an intimidating figure on the mound with his sinister-looking Fu Manchu mustache and blazing fastball, and at 61, he can still fire a few high, hard ones, as he showed after Wednesday's Hall of Fame vote, in which players from the steroid era were shut out of Cooperstown. “I'm glad nobody who is tied to performance-enhancing drugs got elected,” said Gossage, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 after going 124-107 with a 3.01 earned-run average and 310 saves from 1972 to 1994.

No players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame this year in a polarizing vote that reopened the wounds of the steroid era. Home run king Barry Bonds, owner of baseball's most cherished record, was resoundingly rejected. So was pitcher Roger Clemens, who risked prison time by challenging allegations that he used steroids and successfully defended himself against perjury charges. Craig Biggio came closest to election, getting 68.2% of the vote and falling 39 votes short.

A federal judge in Washington ruled Friday that Roger Clemens must face another trial on charges of lying about drug use, although the judge criticized prosecutors' mishandling of evidence during a July mistrial and questioned the fairness of making the former star pitcher pay to defend himself twice. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton set a new trial for April 17. Clemens attorney Rusty Hardin said he may appeal Walton's decision. Walton said if Clemens wants to do that, he must request an expedited review by the appeals court to avoid more delays in the case.

Roger Clemens tried the silent treatment for more than a year and saw where that got him. With many fans believing allegations that the seven-time Cy Young Award winner used performance-enhancing drugs, he's now attempting a different strategy. Clemens hired a firm that guides high-profile figures through public relations crises, and Tuesday he broke his silence with a radio appearance.

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. - - Barry Bonds was baseball's home run king, winning a record seven most-valuable-player awards. Roger Clemens' blazing fastball earned him a nickname, "The Rocket," and a record seven Cy Young Awards as the top pitcher in his league. None of that mattered Wednesday. Two of the most decorated players in the sport's history, perhaps the best in a generation, were roundly rejected from their sport's Hall of Fame. In their first year on the ballot, the celebrated - and vilified - stars were turned away in an election that was a referendum on the game's steroid era. For only the second time in 43 years, the Baseball Writers' Assn.

Barry Bonds owns the most cherished record in baseball, and more than twice as many most-valuable-player awards as anyone else. No pitcher has as many Cy Young awards as Roger Clemens. Under ordinary circumstances, the Hall of Fame debate would involve whether Bonds or Clemens might become the first player to get 99% of the votes in his election. However, with the residue of the steroid era sprinkled over ballots on their way this week to about 650 voting members of the Baseball Writers' Assn.